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The Hilltop, Mars Hill College, Mars Hill, N. C.
Entered at the
Postoffice, Mars Hill, N. C., as Second Claiss Matter,
February 20, 1926.
EDITORIAL STAFF
Editori-in-Chief
Mary E. Carter
.G. T. Greenway
..Pauline Sitton
MANAGERIAL STAFF
Circulation Manager...
REPORTERS
Euthalian Society Harry Parker
Philomathian Society J- Brown
Clio Society Sallie Warren
Nonpareil Soorety... Zelma Bennett
Fine Arte Gage Morrow
Community Mary Hamby
Soriblerie ...Bertie Leigh Holland
Junior Class Audrey Byrd
Y. P, Nina DeBruhl
CUB REPORTERS
Frank Kirby Myrtle Barnette
Robert Barnes Louise Beam
Louis Prince Hillary Caine
RANDOM MEDITATIONS
The lights are off; the Hill Is dark
AS midnight in some lonesome park.
Forsooth, ’tis hard to read or write
By one wee, fading candle light.
In truth Tis sad; but, ah, my friend.
There's more to tell: please hear the
end.
That which once cooled each parching
throat
From ouc our bounds has gone afloat.
When will it cease? Predict a day
When this sad plight will drift away.
Why must we suffer woe and pain
Each time there comes a show’r of
rain? Geo. T. Greenway.
RIGHTING WRITE-UPS
There are a good many things in this old world of ours that cause me
to wonder. For instance, we could never understand why an elephant was
provided with a tail on each end while Bre’r Rabbit has to shift for himself
with only an abbreviation of a tale. But just now we are wondering why
some members of the staff write their articles as they do. Nowadays, when
we receive certain articles, they are written on fancily colored paper, bear
ing the odor of new-mown hay mixed with all the perfumes of a drug store.
When we unfold them and begin reading, we have to sit down; for they
do not begin at the top of the page, but down about the middle. We get
along very well, however, if the articles have only one page; but if they
have two pages, it is necessary to lie down on the right side in order to read
the second page; for we find that the authors have written them from the
north pole to the bottom; that is, from the top to the bottom. This is not
so bad, however; but if the articles have a third page, we have to stand on
our heads in order to read it—it is actually written upside down! The
reading of this page often results in a concussion of the cerebellum. In
reading the fourth page, we have to fall on over on the left side; for this
page is usually written from the south pole to the north.
Now, what we are wondering about is why certain members of the staff
do not save the editors all this trouble by simply using white paper, begin
ning writing at the top of each page and going straight down to the bottom
jjf each sheet.
POLITICS OR WORSE
'Though an honest confession is good for the soul, it sometimes plays
havoc with one’s “character.” But no matter what the effect upon charac
ter (if, indeed, the word can be construed to have such narrow limits), we
students of Mars Hill College must confess that we are sometimes guilty
of trying to stir up politics into a strictly non-political pottage. It does not
speak well of the wisdom and foresight of the students of our college that
in choosing the heads of the various departments in our college activities we
have to stoop to society affiliations rather than having society affiliations
stoop to the welfare of the college.
It is a singular fact that the societies should sometimes oppose the well
being of the institution in which they live and move and have their being.
Yet at Mars Hill this is no uncommon occurrence. We are made to wonder
sometimes why certain representatives of the societies do not tell the director
■of athletics that in order to “keep things as nearly balanced as possible” be
tween the two societies it will be necessary for him to have all teams com
posed of an equal number of men from each society, irrespective of their
.abilities?
“Fie on such a question!” is immediately exclaimed; yet, are we not, in
theory and in fact, guilty of the selfsame crime? In choosing the general
officers, it is often the case that the'man is elected because he will “balance
things” with the other society! Hereafter let us observe the common side
of common sense in electing all officers.
TWILIGHT HOUR
You’re worcome, twilight hour;
Into our midst ascend.
Come, settle o’er the earth
And prove the toilers’ friend.
You're welcome, twilight hour.
To give the world a rest.
The day was one long trial.
Although the way was blest.
You’re welcome, twilight hour.
The birds have gone to sleep.
The flow’rs all close their eyes.
As o’er the earth you creep.
You’re welcome, twilight hour;
We gladly watch you roam.
We know that you will leave,
For dawn will run you home.
Mamie Lee Wynne.
VISIONS OF FAITH
Let me now in meditation
On the wings of vision rise.
Let me leave this habitation
Viewed with only mortal eyes:
Far beyond the dim horizon
Where the sight of mortals fail.
Faith, the sweet eternal vision,
Penetrates the purple veil.
On and on her courses keeping
Ceaseless through the mystic spheres,
Trails the magic garment, sweeping
Through eternities of years.
O sweet faith and happy vision.
You are free from earthly chains.
Needing not her mock precision.
Wandering slow in endless lanes.
Dear and happy consolation,
From these mortal bonds set free.
Boundless is thy habitation.
And thy range eternity.
Sail, O ship of faith immortal.
On and on and on and on:
Heaven is thy pearly portal
And eternity thy zone.
D. L. S.
out ’fpi"; ppring athletics, and M, H. C.
has, already played several Tennessee
colleges. Although baseball is the most
Attractive thing to M. H. C. boys at
p.i^seut, don’t forget the old saying, "In
the spring a young man’s fancy lightly
turns to thoughts of love.”
But, although the great outdoors is
alluring, one hears frequent harmonious
tones of the violin, piano, and melod
ious voices floating out from the music
building; and as play is paramount in
the minds of most of us at this time
of the year, this energy has been di
rected by the Dramatic Club toward a
production. The Spell of the Image,
presented recently.
Another sign of spring on our cam
pus is the social activities. We have
just enjoyed one of the most successful
B. Y. P. XJ. socials that has ever been
known in the history of our young peo
ple’s work. We can certainly give the
M. H. C. girls and boys the credit for
knowing how to have a big time in the
right way. From the fact that M. H. C.
had eleven wide-awake unions, all par
ticipating in the social, one might know
that It was a great event. Miss Annie
Jones, one of the outstanding Junior
College Seniors, was elected queen of
our B. Y. P. U.’s. Miss Jones reigned
over the social hour with as much dig
nity and poise as ever graced a royal
court.
Another sign of "spring in our bones”
is shown in our B. S. U. work. We have
just completed a very successful Mis
sion Study Course, which was the top-
notch of all our study courses this year.
We had the great honor and pleasure
of having with us two outstanding
State W. M. U. workers, Mrs. Edna R.
Harris, State corresponding secretary,
and Miss Dorothy Kellam, Young Peo
ple’s leader. As the young men are de
manding more definite knowledge of our
great Mission work, this year the
courses were opened to both men and
women.
There is a tendency at this season to
do spring cleaning on our campus. The
planting of flowers and shrubbery, the
transforming of dry earth into beautiful
green grass, and the painting of build
ings are all proof enough that we are
not asleep at M. H. C., but are wide
awake and ready with open arms to
greet the merry springtime.
So we welcome you. Sweet Spring
time, as you come bringing to us anew
more abundant life, richer blessings
from God, and an awakening to greater
joys and pleasures.
Gllma Baity.
history of the library
SIGNS OF SPRING ON MARS
HILL COLLEGE CAMPUS
Has spring, with its charming weather,
beautiful blossoming and budding trees,
bright fragrant flowers, and gay twit
tering birds, really arrived? Well, one
would hardly doubt the fact as the cal
endar shows this is really May. Y'es,
May with all its showers, which will
sooner or later disclose the long ex
pected May flowers. As yet, the show
ers have failed us; so surely we have
the promise of plenty of flowers to fill
our "May-day baskets.”
Why all this commotion and unusual
awakening on the campus? Spring
must be here. Winter, with its con
finement, is gone and spring greets us,
awakening within our souls a better
knowledge of the beautiful, bringing us
in closer communion with nature, and
installing within us that desire, in
spiration, and "pep” which bids us
climb.
Girls dressed In gay attire are seen
cheerfully tripping from class to class.
Tennis courts are crowded with players
trying to accomplish the Helen Wills
droke. The topics of conversation on
the campus are picnics, mountain hikes,
and the Junior-Senior banquet.
Basebail is the most inviting sport to
the boys. A iarge number are going
Available records indicate that the
first library at Mars Hill College was
established in 1893. According to tra
dition, however, a number of large |
leather-bound volumes were donated to
i the school prior to the Civil War. Dur
ing the war the soldiers, who were sta
tioned in one of the rooms of the school
buildings, cut the leather from the books
and made purses. All vestiges of this
library were lost during the early stren
uous days.
Since 1893 the library has had a con
tinuous existence. This so-called library,
founded at this time, was located in one
of the rooms in the music building. Be
cause of the fact that Jacob Sams gave
many of the books, it was called ‘‘Uncle
Jacob’s Library.” Dr. John E. White,
at that time one of the teachers, now
president of Anderson College, was the
‘hnrian. After the students had fin
ished their school work, they were per
mitted to go to the library and read an
hour each day. Such books as Tom
Brown's School Days and Little Women
were enjoyed by the students.
The remains of this library served as
a nucleus for the next library, which
was located In the Administration
Building, in Room Number 7. It was in
charge of one of the students, under the
general direction of a teacher. The
room was open only onh or two hours
each day; this signified that books and
papers were of little demand.
There was no system; papers and
books lay carelessly upon the tables.
The books were hurriedly given out, and
then collected at the end of the period.
These conditions gradually Improved
and were later altered by a creditable
library which was given to the college.
Our present library, known as the
Estella Nissen Montague Library, “a
gem in stone, steel, and cement,” the
gift of Col. H. Montague, of Winston-
Salem, was dedicated at commencement,
1919.
This building was erected at a cost
of five thousand dollars. It is fifty feet
in length, twenty-five feet in width, and
twenty-five feet in height. Built from
the huge, rough boulders gathered from
the mountains near Mars Hill, it is a
very beautiful and substantial building.
The editor of the Outdoors Magazine, of
Washington, D. C., said, “One of the
most picturesque library buildings of
the United States is that of Mars Hill
College.”
The library was opened in the spring
of 1919. The bound magazines date
back to 1917. Since that time the li
brary has witnessed a continuous
growth. At present the library contains
about 6,900 well selected volumes, not
Including unbound magazines or govern
ment documents.
The library personnel consists of Miss
Bowden, librarian; Mrs. Rampey, assist
ant librarian; aild two student assist
ants. The present efficiency of the li
brary is due to the tireless efforts of
this staff.
In the year of 1922 the college was
recognized as a Junior College; conse
quently, the standard was obliged to be
raised. At this period the library took
a tremendous leap in the line of liter
ature and reference work. A better
system, which causes less confusion,
and one that is used in all parts of the
world was introduced. This system has
evidently proved successful.
The books in our library are arranged
on the shelves in numerical order ac
cording to the Dewey Decimal Classi
fication System.
‘The library is a workshop, and not a
social room. It is here that the world
touches us. It is the .power house of
the college. It invites the ignorant as
well as the learned. It speaks to the
classes in a condensed form. “The
newspaper is the sentence; the maga
zine is the paragraph; and the book is
the binding up of the theme.”
The motto of the library is service to
the greatest number. The object of the
old-time library was to keep the old
books on the shelves. Now the new idea
is to keep them in circulation. The aim
is to reach every one on the campus.
Selfish motives are not tolerated.
The present room of the library is
Inadequate to meet the needs of the
college. There is not sufficient study
and reading room to accommodate the
students. We need a larger seating ca
pacity, conference, and work rooms.
Since it is Christian charity that
places our buildings and equipment
here, we are expecting our new, or im
proved library, to come from the same
source. tVe prize those things given to
us very highly- We desire that every
one on the campus shall appreciate more
these beautiful buildings, it has been
said that the glory of Mars Hill College
is in the type of boys and girls she
sends out. H II''® true, they are
required to belp make known to the
world her need; for when her need is
supplied, she can reach to higher realms
of usefulness. It will be the student
who stands for righteousness out yon
der that will add to her glory and make
he’’ more "the salt of the earth.” God
will bless every effort, dollar, brick, and
flower sacriflcially given. Help us to
pray. Phil- I-I* true today for those
who dare trust.
M. Randall.
JOKUMS
Have a Laugh
The Christening.
The mother assisted at the baby’s
christening by breaking ^ bottle of
Scotch over its father’s head.—Judge.
Some people marry for love, some
for money, but most of them for only
a short time.—Judge.
“Karl, is the man who just gave you
cigar a friend of yours T’
“I don’t know; I haven’t lit the cigar
Faun, Vienna.
yet.”-